Tuesday 2 March 2010

Overlooked 80s Films - Part The Second

I've started off with a theme this week so let's keep on rolling with it for now, shall we? Yes, that was a rhetorical question, I'm going to do it anyway but I like to give the illusion that you're somehow involved in the process. I'm inclusive like that. What's today's choice then?

Day Two - The Never-Ending Story

Now, I'm pretty sure that some will, at the mere mention of those words, have the cheesy theme tune by former Kajagoogoo front man Limahl beginning to run round your heads ("The Never-Ending Stooo-ooo-reeeyyyy, Whoa oh oh, whoa oh oh, whoa oh oh.") Well, if I've got it stuck in there, no reason you shouldn't have it too.

Much like yesterday's choice of Short Circuit, it's not necessarily the most exceptional film in the world but it has a certain charm about it that carries it through. There are some nicely realised fantasy characters (was always fond of the Rock Eaters and Morla the giant tortoise) but I think the element that I was fondest of as a small and still behaired youth was the concept of the book gradually drawing the reader into the storyline and needing them to become the hero who saves the day. As a young boy and avid reader, the idea of the fantasy world of the book becoming real and either invading your everyday life or drawing you into its fictional world was extremely appealing.

Let's give you a few facts on this one. Everyone likes a good fact.

- It's a German production based on a German novel (but only the first half of the book, apparently - not quite that never-ending then)
- It was directed by the man responsible for Das Boot
- It spawned two sequels and an animated series and was remade for TV as a 13 episode series in 2001.
- The aforementioned Limahl theme tune was written by Giorgio Morodor who wrote the Academy Award-winning "Flashdance...What A Feeling!" and "Take My Breath Away"as well as the somehow non-award winning "Together In Electric Dreams". Hard to believe it didn't win anything, isn't it?
- It does, in fact, seem to have ended. For now anyway.

There you go. That's your lot for today. What's tomorrow's choice? Well, you'll have to come back and see, won't you?

Oh, alright, here's the video:-




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwF4PPoEWD4

3 comments:

Lady Euphoria Deathwatch said...

Hi Baldy,

Have you been looking through my DVD collection while I wasn't looking?

What else do you know about me?

Keep them coming.

Euphoria

MJenks said...

Didn't Troy McClure bring a suit against the Neverending Story because it ended?

I, too, loved this movie. Oh, Atreyu. I liked the big, glowing sphinxes. Both sets. I was kind of peeved when the blue ones crumbled.

That Baldy Fella said...

Lady E - I might have been. Don;t worry, I put everything back.

MJenks - On the first weekend that we rented this on VHS (back in the day), my brother and I watched it about 6 times. We were obsessive like that about films.